Advertisement

Robert Allenby to hold news conference at Phoenix Open

On one hand, it was good that Robert Allenby withdrew from the Humana Challenge.

On the other, Allenby's absence didn't give him a chance to respond as others who witnessed pieces of his harrowing Friday night a little over a week ago in Hawaii shared their recollections. From claims of strip-club visits to falling on lava rocks, it wasn't a good week for the 43-year-old Aussie.

Next week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open may not be much better, where Allenby still intends to play. Hundreds of thousands of fans, many well-researched but alcohol-fueled, could prove to heckle the golfer into a nervous breakdown. Perhaps realizing a precarious situation and a need to move on as quickly as possible from this whole thing, Allenby will hold a news conference on Tuesday ahead of the tournament, according to a Golf Channel on-air report Sunday.

It's unclear if Allenby intends to read a written statement, riff on reporter's questions or some mix.

Meanwhile, Honolulu police continue to investigate Allenby's case as a second-degree robbery, with officers only certain of the golfer losing his wallet and other belongings. Credit cards Allenby carried that Friday night in Waikiki Beach have been used to make over $20,000 in fraudulent purchases.

However, police are not investigating other aspects of Allenby's original story, including the kidnapping and assault Allenby alleged happened to him after leaving Amuse Wine Bar. Allenby claimed he left the bar shortly before 11 p.m. on Jan. 16, then said he remembered being hit in the face after turning the corner. Then he said the next thing he recalled was waking up in a park some 6 miles away from the wine bar in a dangerous situation with two homeless men, since identified as Chris Khamis and Toa Kaili. Allenby said a homeless woman, Charade Keane, helped him from the situation and, along with an unidentified retired military person, got Allenby into a cab bound for his hotel for the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he missed the cut. Based on information he pieced together, Allenby said he was probably drugged, taken into an underground parking garage, assaulted, robbed and then thrown from a car into the park.

Keane has since spoken about her version of events, saying she came upon Allenby around the corner from the wine bar, not in a park. She claimed Allenby was in an argument with Khamis and Kaili and helped Allenby from the encounter. She denied Allenby's claim she told him he was thrown from a car.

Khamis and Kaili have claimed they came upon Allenby twice during the night: shortly after Allenby had left Amuse and again around 1:30 a.m. when they saw him passed out. Both claim Allenby became agitated when they were trying to help, with Kaili leaving the scene. Left to help out Allenby, Khamis claimed Allenby passed out again and fell to the ground, hurting himself on a rock. Khamis also claimed Allenby had told him he had gone to a strip club earlier in the night.

Where Allenby will go with this new, contradictory information is anyone's guess, but the next chapter of this bizarre story will be written on Tuesday.


Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.